Right down the Middle

I've had Sophia (my mountain bike) for a week, officially! We've only had time to take her out on one proper outing so far, but I think that was enough for me to fall in love with her.
Last Monday, we ventured out to Cochran Mill Park, a nature center about 30 minutes south of the city. They have a series of trails spanning about 11 miles and ranging in skills from beginner to advanced.
Patrick was nice enough to stick to the beginner trails with me, while our other friends went to do a couple of loops around the advanced. I know I'll get better and I shouldn't be so tough on myself after a day of mountain biking, but holy cow! those beginner trails kicked my butt.

The views that come with mountain biking are definitely worth the suffering.

Once I got my sea legs (or is it trail legs?), things were overall pretty smooth sailing. Luckily, we got to the trails pretty early so, for awhile, it was only us out there. I was thankful to have my warm-up time to myself without having to worry about running across other cyclists, hikers, or dogs. However, right after leaving this beautiful river, the beginner's loop got even more intense. We climbed for what felt like forever (it was less than 500ft over 15 miles...whoops!) over rocks and roots. I quickly found out that I definitely need to study up on my climbing skill set. I'd get momentum going, but as soon as I saw an obstacle in my path, I panicked and got off my bike. Right now, the biggest goal for myself is just not be afraid. I've only ever broken my pinky finger and the thought of getting significantly hurt is always in the back of my mind.

By the end of the day, I only crashed once. Got a gnarly chain ring tattoo on the back of my leg and the most ridiculous bruise ever on my knee when a stick tried to stab into it. There's something really humorous of being on the ground and hearing your boyfriend yell "you're okay, don't cry!" as he rushes over to you. Sometimes I think he knows me a little too well...



My only problem now is that I don't want to go back to road riding. Even my 2 mile commute seems tedious now.
We're off to Chattanooga this upcoming weekend to visit my brother for Patrick's birthday. I'm real excited to check out some new trails in a new city.

New Bike Day (#3)

She is a Specialized Jynx Expert 650b

Meet Sophia - the newest addition to our constantly growing (bike) family.

I hadn't exactly been in the mountain bike market for very long...or, well, at all. Patrick and his friends have been almost exclusively riding their mountain bikes lately, but due to my work schedule, I was never off when they were going riding anyway, so it never much mattered to me that I didn't have one.

Naturally, however, there was that tiny part of me that saw how much fun they were having and envied not being out there too.
A couple of months ago, Patrick and I agreed that we were going to split the cost of a mountain bike for my birthday in May. We picked out the perfect one!
 Early last week, we found out that Specialized was extending their Spring Savings sale which make the bike we'd be scoping out incredibly affordable. Since the sale was ending about a month before my birthday, we decided to move up our purchasing date to as soon as possible.

& she has 27.5" wheels

Unfortunately, a couple of days after that decision, Pat comes home to tell me that the bike we were looking out was sold out. And the worst part?! One of their customers ordered one of the last ones in my size! I was heartbroken.
But, at least their was less pressure on my wallet and our time crunch was over...

Today, I went with him to work at the bike shop (the dudes there are nice enough to let me mill around on my days off and "help" work on bikes). Before we opened, I see Pat rolling down the exact bike I had my eyes on and he tells me that it's for that other customer, but he wants to see if the sizing would be what I'd need to get. So I halfheartedly get on the bike to test it out.
He then tells me that it's actually mine!!! I spend the next couple of minutes half-crying, half telling him to stop messing with me before I decide to believe him. But alas, she is all mine!

I'm impressed by Patrick's ability to keep a secret (and a straight face). My work schedule has also changed, meaning we have a day off together again. Hitting the trails early next week & I cannot wait! All the camping! All the mountain biking! Could not be more excited for summer!

If Ya Can't Beat 'Em...

 After fighting against making the switch to clipless shoes and peddles for months, I finally did it! Despite what everyone had said in regards to going clipless, I just couldn't imagine it making that significant of a difference to bother spending money on new equipment for my bike.

Yesterday, I spent the day working with Patrick at the bike shop, just building bikes. The owner said he'd give me $10 per bike I built. Instead, I decided to build enough so I could afford a trade of work for new shoes. And I got em!
First pair of cycling shoes I've ever had. Despite it taking me close to an hour to learn how to clip in and out (I'm still not fully comfortable with it), I've never felt so awesome on a bike. Can't believe I took so long to make the switch!

Not to get all ~emotional~ about an inanimate object, but it's real strange to feel so ~connected~ with your bike.
(I also really need to get out of the habit of using ~~~ to mock myself)

I'm excited to make this giant step in preparing myself for the racing season. With a new, amazing bike and now this new pedal setup, I'm starting to run out of excuses for why I'm slow/don't want to throw in an extra 10 miles on my ride.
Gotta get better about pushing myself.

2016: Year of the Not Wimp

New Bike Day!

When Bri and I were on vacation in California, I found a crazy deal on a Specialized AWOL frame back home. As soon as we got back, I polished up the ole Trek and put her up on Craigslist.  I slowly started building this frame up, and I'll admit that I went a little crazy over the tiny details.

I picked up a set of Salsa Cowchipper bars from my good buds at Loose Nuts Cycles. I decided I wanted to use spent shotgun shells for the bar plugs. I went to Stoddard's Shooting Range to see if they had any spent 12 gauge shells, but they had none available. They were super helpful, and set me up with my own shotgun to shoot. 5 rounds later, I had my bar plugs and was ready to go.

I went with a Thomson seatpost and stem, there really was no other option to consider. Thomson makes the best bike parts, and they are a Georgia based company!

When I first started plannIng this build, I had a few products I wanted to try for the first time.  One of my favorite newer products is the ESI R.C.T. bar tape.  It is a 100% silicone bar tape with no adhesives.  It feels just like their Chunky mountain bike grips, and went on super easy.  When riding off-road, it has been amazing!

I added a Mash SF donut top cap for a little touch of flair.  The other product I was super excited about was the Spurcycle bell. While they aren't cheap, they really are worth it. Designed and manufactured in America, it is an item that I know I will have for life.

For the drivetrain, I did a full Sram Force1 hydraulic spec. I matched a 42 tooth chainring with an 11-36 cassette.  It gives plenty of climbing gears, while still having some sprint gearing.  Matched with Sram's centerline 160mm rotors, the brakes are some of the best I've ever ridden.

For the wheels, I got a pair of Stan's NoTubes Grail Pro wheels.  I added a set of the new Teravail Cannonball 700x38 tires, which have been incredible in gravel.  The detail I went the craziest over, were the wheel decals.  The stock decals are red and white, and were just too busy with how sleek the rest of the bike looked.  I found a company from Sweden called Slik Graphics, who made the custom decals. After ordering and going through the design process, it only took about a week for them to arrive. I highly recommend them for any custom decal work.

The bike came together beautifully, and I am head over heels with the ride.  I took it out for a 60 mile maiden voyage, with a ton of climbing and some off road sections.  The bike is stable, but still can be nimble and really shred off road. I can't wait for long days on fire roads and gravel paths. Next up, I am getting frame and seat bags for multi day bike trips.  This build truly was a labor of love, and I'm eager to see where it can take me.